Smoke box front



w. F. KIESEL, JR

SMOKE BOX FRONT Filed July 6, 1951 FIG- I.

May 23, 1933.

3 Sheets-Sheet 1 WITNESSES INVENTOR- mllzamfifieseflk TTORNEYS.

' w. F. KIESEL, JR 1,910,800

SMOKE BOX FRONT May 23, 1933.

Filed July 6, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG". I.

' IN VEN TOR:

WITNESSES mllmjmzesewf:

May 23, 1933. w F 5 JR 1,910,800

SMOKE BOX FRONT Filed July 6, 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet '3 WITNESSES IN VENTOR:

mllzamjfifleseld Patented May 23, 1933 1 UNITED Saree WILLIAM F. KIESEL,JR., HOLLI'DA'YSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA;

SMOKE Box rnonr Application filed July 6, 1931. Serial Nab 18,963.

This invention relates to smoke box fronts for locomotives or the like,and more particularly to thecombinationof a smoke box front of noveldesign with a shrouded stack.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a locomotive smoke boxand stack arrangement of a design such that, when the locomotive ismoving, air will be entrained at the front of thelocomotive anddeflected upvvardly around the rear of the stack to lift the smoke andgases issuing therefrom well above the locomotive "cab, thus clearingthe atmosphere at the front of thelocomotive and giving the engine crewa clear view ahead.

While I am aware that it has heretofore been proposed to provide alocomotive stack with a hood partly surrounding it for the purpose-ofdeflecting a current of air upwardly at the rear of the stack to carrysmoke and gases above the line of vision of the engine crew,.the presentinvention is characterized by anumber of improvements over such schemesamong which improvements the following may be mentioned.

Inthe present invention the smoke box front is inclined upwardlyandrearwardly and so formed and related to the stack as to entrain andconcentrate a relatively large volume of air around the rear of thestack. The stackand smoke box front comprise an integral casting sothat, when the smoke box front is removed, the stack andthe shroudassociated with it are removed by the same operation, which immediatelyrenders the in ternal piping and other parts within the smoke boxreadily accessible. Furthermore, the smoke box front is preferablyalsoprovided with a forwardly projecting portion normally covered byadoor through which.

access maybe had to the smoke box without removal. of the combined smokebox front and stack.

Other objects and advantages characteristic of this invention willbecome more fully apparentfrom the description of one embodiment orexample thereof which follows hereinafter, having reference to theaccompanying drawings, whereof Fig. I represents a front elevation ofthe forepart of a locomotive with certain parts box bottomplate 16 isjoined to the boiler shown in section and others removed for clearnessof illustration.

Fig. 11 represents a top plan view of the same; and,

III represents a longitudinal cross section of the same, taken asindicated by the lines III-III of Fig. II.

In the drawings the front end of the boiler barrel of a locomotive isdesignated at l, and portions of tubes through which the products ofcombustion pass to the smoke box are designated at 2. At the top of thetube sheet S there is also shown the usual dry piped and Tconnection 5,but the details of the super-heater, superheater header, and other partsnormally found within the smoke box have been omitted for the sake ofclearness of illustration, inasmuch as the present invention is notconcerned with the interior fittings of the smoke box. In advance of theboiler barrel 1 and at the top of the smoke box,there is a front endcasting 6 with a feed water heater 7 thereon.

The cylinder and saddle construction need not be here described indetail as the pre- 7 ferred arrangement thereof is that which isdisclosed in U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,785,485, grantedto me December16, 1930. The main piston-type valve chambers are shown at 8 and theauxiliary or cut-oifvalve chambers are shown at 9. Exhaust steampassages 10 lead upwardly aroundthe auxiliary valve chambers 9 toflanges 11 where these passages connect with pipes 12 which conduct theexhaust steam to the feed Water heater. Additional transverse passages13 conduct exhaust steam from the ends of the valve chambers 8 to avertical conduit 14.- and from thence to the exhaust stand 15 directlythereabove. At the bottom of the smoke box there is a plate 16 having anannular depres sion 17 concentric with and surrounding the exhaust stand15. This bottom plate 16 is preferably formed integrally with the valvechambers 8 and 9 and the exhaust steamconduits 10,13 and 14, and thecomplete casting comprises a saddle for the forward end of the boilerbarrel 1. At its rear end the smoke barrel 1 as shown at 18. 1 0

The details of the means provided for imparting the required velocity tothe exhaust gases passing from the smoke box to the atmosphere are shownand described in U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,749,487, granted to me March4, 1930, and, therefore, need not be here referred to other thanbriefly. The central raised portion 19 of the smoke box bottom plate 16forms, together with the circular base 20 of the exhaust stand 15,. aseat for acylindrical netting 21. The top of the netting 21 is disposedwithin a blower ring casting 22 of a well-known construction.

The top flange 23 of the ring casting 22" abuts against a correspondingflange 24 formed at the base of the inner portion 25 of the stack 26.Connected to the. depending flared skirt 27 of the ring casting 22,there is a petticoat 28 preferably constructed in the manner describedin my Patent No. 1,7 49,487 referred to above. The petticoat 28 may bemade in three sections, each extending through an. arc of 120, With twosections bolted to the blower ring 22 and with the third. or frontsection hinged to the bottom of the other two and latched to the blowerring 22 by a dog 29, so that it may be swung forwardito permit access tothe netting 21' for the purpose of inspection. The dog 29 is pivoted toa bracket 30 and has a lug 31 which is adapted to be clamped against theinside of the ring castingv 22. To hold thehandle portion 32 of the dog29 in clamped position, abolt 83-with a cotter pin 34 at the endthereofmay conveniently be employed. When the locomotive is not inmotionand no steam is exhausting from the cylinders, by opening a valveinthecab, live steammay be admi tedto the blower ring 22 and caused toissue from. apertures therein in a jet, as indicated in Fig. III, toinduce a draft inthe stack 26 andthus to lift the smoke.

From the description thus far it will be apparent that flue gases fromthe tubes 2 pass through the smoke box to the bottom thereof at thespace between the annular depression 17 of the smoke box bottom plate 16and. the bottom of. the petticoat 28. From thence the flue gases passupward through the cylindrical. netting 21, where large cinders arebroken up into particles suitable for passage-through the netting. Adraft inducing, jet of steam is projected upward from a .suitableexhaust nozzle attached to the exhaust stand 15 at 35, and causes theflue gases to be entrained therein'and to be ejected upwards through thestack 26 with considerable velocity.

The above described smoke box construction, the arrangement of theexhaust steam conduits, and the meansprovided for inducinga draft in theflue gases within the stack .26 represent merely an example of theinterior construction of a locomotive frontend to which my invention maybe applied; and

it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in itsapplication to such a construction as that described and illustratedherein, but may be applied to many different types of locomotve frontends.

To the portion 36 of the saddle and to the front end casting 6,cylindrical plates 37, defining the side walls of the smoke box, areriveted. As shown in Fig. I, there is a ring 38 of substantially squarecross section fitting within the front end of the smoke box and slantingupwardly and rearwardly, the smoke box ring 38 being attached to themargins near the front edges of the bottom plate 16, the cylindricalplates 37, and the front end casting 6. The ring38 serves as a supportupon which the smoke box front, comprehensively designated at 39, ismounted.

I The smoke box front 39 includes a flat slanting wall 40' which is ofsubstantially circular outlineand which is bolted at its peripheralmargin 41 to the smokebox ring 38. The exterior portion 42 of the stack26 projects upwardly at the outside of the wall 40 to apoint somewhatabove the feed water heater 7 and the interior portion 25 of the stackprojects downwardly at the inside of the wall 40 to the ring casting 22.The entire stack 26 is formed. as an integral part of the smoke boxfront. At the front of the stack there is an opening 43. Adjacent tothis opening the wall of thestack is formed to take the shape of anozzle44 having its axis inclined to the vertical axis of the stack 26. At thesides of the nozzle 44 there are brackets 45 which may serve as supportsfor a headlight and generator- The steam exhaust from the head'- lightgenerating apparatus may be connected to thenozzle 44 to inject'steamfrom-the exhaustinto the stack 26 Formed integrally with the flatslanting wall 40 at the top portion thereof there is a; shroud 46, thetop edge of which, as shown in Fig. ILis circular and surrounds the major portion of the stack. At the front of the stack 26 the shroud 46merges into forward- 1y projecting wings 47 which extend upward from thebottom of the slanting. wall 40of the smoke box, and-converge towardsthe top of. the stack. The wings 47 project to a con .siderable distancein advance of the wall 40 jecting; portion 48 which serves as amanholethrough which access may be had to the interior of the smoke box withoutremoval of the front of the cylindrical portion 48, these lugs servingas hinge supports for the smoke box door which is not shown in thedrawings but may be assumed to be of a shape corresponding to the flange49.

box front comprises in an integral piece the slanting wall d0, the stack26, the shroud 46, the forwardly projecting wings 47, and thecylindrical portion 48 Accordingly, all of these parts are adapted to beremoved in a single operation which" involves merely the removal of thenuts on the bolts by which the slanting wall is secured to the ring 38at the front end of the locomotive. When the smoke box front has beenremoved, the interior piping is at once accessible. Furthermore, it ispossible toenter the smoke box without removal of the smoke box frontthrough the manhole defined by the cylindrical portion 48.

When a locomotive provided with a front end and smoke box frontconstructed accord ing to the practice of this invention is standingidle, the draft induced in the stack by steam from the blower ring 22 issufficient to lift the smoke and flue gases well above the top of thestack; and there is no interference with the vision of the engine crew.When the locomotive is moving the air impinges on the slanting wall 4L0of the smoke box front, and is deflected upwardly and rearwardly in thetrough formed between the wings 47 and the slanting wall 40.Accordingly, the stream of air is directed into the annular spacebetween the shroud 4.6 and the stack 26 and from thence is deflectedvertically upwards in a column surrounding the flue gas issuing from thestack. This raises or lifts the smoke and gases from the stack wellabove the top of the locomotive so that the View of the engine crew isnot interfered with.

While I have described my invention with reference to one example orembodiment thereof, it, will be apparent that various changes maybe madein the form of the structure herein disclosed without departing from thespirit of my invention as defined in the claims hereto annexed, and thatsome of the characteristic features of my novel smoke box front be usedto advantage without a corresponding use of other features.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A removable smoke box front for a locomotive or the like comprisingin an integral piece, a slanting wall, a stack, and air-deflect ingmeans for producing an upward current of air at said stack.

2. A removable smoke box front for a locoproje'cting wings for producingcurrent ofair at said stacks i It will be particularly noted that thesmoke motive or the like comprising in an integral piece, a slantingwallpand a stack having a portion projecting upwardlyat the outside ofsaid wall, and a portionprojecting downwardly at the inside of saidwall.

3.- A removable smoke box front for a locomotive or dislike comprisingin an integral piece, a slant-ing Wall, a stack, and forwardly an upward4. A smokebox front for a locomotive or the like CO-ITlPllSlIlg. in anuntegral piece, a

slanting wall, a stack, and a shroud surrounding the rear of said stackbut open at the front of the stack and merging into forwardly projectingwings forproducing an upward current of air at said stack.

5. A smok box frontfor a locomotive or the like comprising in anintegral piece, a flat slanting wall, a stack having a portion there-"of projecting upwardly at the outside of said wall and a portion thereofprojecting downwardly at the inside of said wall, and a shroudsurrounding the rear of said stack but open at the front of the stackand merging into for- I wardly projecting wings for producing an upwardcurrent of air at said stack.

6. In combination with a boiler barrel of a locomotive or the like, aremovable smoke box front comprising an upwardly and rearwardly slantingwall, a stack thereon, and means partly surrounding said stack andextending forwardly from said slanting wall for producing an upwardcurrent of air at said stack.

7. In combination with a boiler barrel of a locomotive or the like, aremovable smoke box front comprising an upwardly and rearwardly slantingwall a stack thereon, a shroud surrounding the rear of said stack, andforwardly projecting wings on said slanting wall.

8. In combination with a boiler barrel of a locomotive or the like, asmoke box front comprising an upwardly and rearwardly slanting wall, astack thereon, and a shroud surrounding the rear of said stack but openat the front thereof, and forwardly projecting wings on said slantingwall, said wings converging towards said shroud and merging therewith.

9. In combination with a boiler barrel of a locomotive or the like, asmoke box front comprising an upwardly and rearwardly slanting wall,astack passing through said wall and formed integrally therewith, ashroud surrounding the rear of said stack, and forwardly projectingwings on said slanting wall converging towards said shroud and mergingtherewith, said wings extending upward to the top of the stack.

10. I11 combination with a boiler barrel of a locomotive or the like, aremovable smoke box front comprising an upwardly and rearwardly slantingwall, a stack thereon, and means partly surrounding said stack and extending forwardly from said slanting Wall for producing an upwardcurrent of air at said stack, said smoke box front having a coveredopening beneath said stack permitting partial access to the smoke box.

11. A removable smoke box front for a 'locomotive or the like comprisingin an integral piece, a slanting Wall, a stack, air-deflecting, meansfor producing an upward current of air at said stack, and a cylindricalprojection extending forward from said Wall beneath saidestack, saidprojection defining a manhole permitting partial access to thelocomotive smoke box and boiler front.

In testimony whereof,- I have hereunto signed myname at Altoona,Pennsylvania, this 25th day of June 1931. I

WILLIAM F. KIESEL, JR.

